Darkness's Son Interlude: Anakin's Padawans
by The Hope Lions
Summary: Set between 2 and 3. A little interlude one-shot set in my Darkness's Son universe where Vader had been raising Luke for 5 years. Spoilers for Rebels season 2 finale Ahsoka Tano doesn't know why Vader let her go, and she plans on asking Anakin just that. She had no idea, however, who else she might find in Vader's apartment.


So here is the short little one-shot I promised. It was just an idea I had after watching the Rebels season finale. I wrote this months ago, but since there are kinda-sorta spoilers for the ending to book 2 in here I didn't want to post it until I finished that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

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Ahsoka Tano knew she had to get back to the Rebellion. Kanan was blind. Ezra had touched the Dark Side. Rex… well Rex would just be desperate to see her safe and sound.

But Ahsoka was safe and sound, and that was the problem. She'd survived a confrontation with Vader, not out of skill, he had, after all, taught her everything she knew. Ahsoka had survived simply because Vader, no Anakin, hadn't killed her.

Her master was still in there, somewhere. Somewhere beneath those yellow eyes was the soft blue Ahsoka knew so well. Somewhere within Vader was her master, and she needed to bring Anakin home.

So she did the absolute stupidest thing a Jedi could do and found her way to Coruscant. _The Imperial Center- what a stupid name. It will always be Coruscant to me._

The city-planet was much the same as she remembered it. People rushed about, never stopping to notice those around them. Once it had angered her, back when she'd thought everyone should just help each other to get peace. Now it was a blessing. No one was looking at Ahsoka, not even the stormtroopers that marched through the streets.

Eventually all her wandering paid off and Ahsoka had an address. _Republica500, now Skyguy, what are you doing there?_

It wasn't hard for Ahsoka to guess what apartment he was living in, and she actually felt a little stupid for not just checking there first. She knew Anakin was still directing Vader's actions, and Anakin would always come home to Padme.

Ahsoka wasn't an idiot; she'd always known Anakin was in love with the Senator. She found clues in the way his eyes lit up with both joy and fear whenever Padme joined them on a mission. When they were on Coruscant, however briefly, and he disappeared every night. Ahsoka knew that her master recited the code to her, told her attachments were forbidden, but ignored that rule himself. He ignored it with Obi-Wan, with Padme, and with her.

And that was why Ahsoka now had to go after him.

For a building that held some of the most powerful puppets in the world, Republica500's security was terrible. All Ahsoka needed to do was coax the keypad a bit with the Force and she was in. Then it was only a matter of getting past all the stormtroopers… most of whom can't see straight when they're actually trying.

The actual door to the penthouse was the most difficult to get through, as the keypad resisted the Force, but Ahsoka's lightsabers made quick work of that. Soon enough she was in.

Every light in the apartment was on, though no one seemed to be using it. Ahsoka reached out through the Force, trying to find Vader, but he didn't appear to be home. There was something else though…

All the lights flicked out at once, and Ahsoka pulled her sabers. A boy, probably fifteen or sixteen, stood in the dark hallway, a green lightsaber burning in his hand. "What are you doing in my house?"

"Your house? This is Anakin's home."

Even in the darkness Ahsoka could make out a flicker of recognition in the boy's eyes. He knew, even if he said, "This home belongs to Lord Darth Vader."

"I know, that's why I came here to find Anakin," Ahsoka told him, shutting off her sabers. This boy, whoever he was, wasn't a threat to her. If he was going to hurt her he'd have done it when she broke into his house.

She'd severely miscalculated the boy however, as she discovered when he used to Force to quickly pull her sabers to him. He still didn't attack though, so perhaps she hadn't miscalculated at all. "Your lightsaber is green," she told him with much the same look as she'd given Anakin whenever he was failing at acting tough.

The boy seemed to appreciate the look about as much as Anakin had. "So?"

"What is a Jedi padawan doing living with a Sith?"

At her question, the boy shut down his own saber, but continued to hold onto Ahsoka's. He did flip on the lights though (using the Force of course) which simply meant he didn't do the whole 'dark and mysterious' thing Vader had been using for years. Ahsoka sorely appreciated that, even if his voice was still harsh as he asked "Who are you?"

"Ahsoka Tano," she greeted, offering a hand that the boy, still weary, did not accept. "I told you my name it's only fair you offer yours."

"Luke."

"Luke…"

The boy sighed, clipping all three lightsabers to his belt. Clearly this was not how he'd expected his night to go, and yet Ahsoka could feel his curiosity. He wasn't upset. Or even very scared (as most boys his age would be after their home got invaded by a Jedi.)No, no Luke was simply curious, and far too trusting. "Luke Skywalker, Anakin is my father."

Ahsoka stared at Luke for a minute, wondering what kind of horrible lies Vader had been telling. Then she noticed his eyes, blue, just like Anakin's. And his hair… He didn't look exactly like Anakin, who by Luke's age was already cold and hard (until he smiled of course). No, there was some of Padme in him, especially in his height. Yet he even had a mechanical hand, as if something like that could be inherited."Ah, now I see how it can be both your home and Anakin's. I didn't realize he had a son."

"Obviously you don't pay much attention to the HoloNet then."

Ahsoka chuckled, no, she certainly didn't. Perhaps the rebels should start though, if there were secrets like this one out there. "My master taught me not to believe everything the HoloNet says."

"My father says that all the time."

"I would imagine so."

Awkwardness oozed between the two. Both Luke and Ahsoka had so many questions, about each other, about the man who was both their master, but neither wanted to risk asking them. Not when they were scared of the answers they might get.

So the silence rang, until Luke jumped up, "You need to go, now!" It took Ahsoka a moment too long to realize why, and suddenly she heard the hissing of a saber behind her.

He'd gotten a new mask, to replace the one Ahsoka destroyed. She was suddenly frightened. Not because she thought Vader would hurt her, but because she could not see Anakin beneath the mask as she had when she'd broken it. With the mask he went back to looking like the monster who hunted down her kind, their kind. "You should not have come here," the masked monster growled.

"Father please," Luke was almost whining, and Ahsoka let herself consider for a second how often the pair must find themselves in this situation. Luke had his blade raised to his father, not to attack, but to protect Ahsoka. It was an interesting sight, and yet Vader was oozing not anger, but annoyance.

"Luke," Vader growled. "Go to your room."

"I think I'll stay."

"LUKE!"

"Go," Ahsoka prodded the boy, suddenly realizing Vader was scared for his son, and fear was of the Dark Side. In trying to help Luke was very possibly making the situation work. "I'll be fine. He won't kill me. If he could he'd have done it on Malachor."

Luke's eyes flashed between both of them, but nodded, tossing Ahsoka her sabers. Vader tried to Force pull them, but Luke used his own power to push them. The two were so evenly matched that it was only when Ahsoka called on the Force herself that the sabers moved to her.

"I'll be in my room, and I will know if you try to kill her!"

Ahsoka and Vader both took a moment to be awed by Luke's boldness before remembering they were technically mortal enemies. "He reminds me of Padme." Vader's breathing grew heavier, and Ahsoka wondered if he had huffed. "He reminds me of you too."

"What kind of fool are you to come find me again?"

It was a fair question, but not what Ahsoka expected. He wasn't attacking her, which was obviously good, yet he didn't seem at all pleased. "You let me go on Malachor. We both know I was beaten, but you just walked away."

"My respirator was malfunctioning, if I had not left I would have choked." Vader was offering excuses, and Ahsoka couldn't believe it. He didn't know why she was still alive either. "You should not have seen that as a reason to try me again."

Vader's lightsaber hummed near Ahsoka, but she did not worry. Not only because he wouldn't kill her, but because even he knew he wouldn't kill her. "You won't fight me, not here, not now. You don't want to fight Luke… could he beat you?"

"No," Vader replied.

"Yes," Luke called from the doorway. "I've beaten him in training before."

Ahsoka smiled. She'd never really beaten Anakin, not when he was trying to win. It was possible Luke hadn't either, and yet he had the strength. A few more years and he'd probably have the skill as well. "Good, someone needs to knock his ego down."

Luke chuckled, and Vader growled, before extinguishing his saber. "Leave Ahsoka, and do not come back. Your pitiful rebellion cannot afford to lose another Jedi."

"The Rebellion would be better off if you weren't hunting us. Please Anakin, you must realize that the Empire is worse than the Separatists, and you fought against them."

"Anakin is dead."

Luke rolled his eyes, walking over to Ahsoka. "Don't mind him. He gets like this sometimes when someone does something that doesn't fit with his black and white view of the world. But you should go, really. You're not going to get anywhere I haven't already."

Ahsoka believed him. She was Anakin's padawan, his friend, his little sister. But Luke… Luke was Vader's son, the one person who could stop the Sith from killing. Luke was bringing the light out of his father far better than Ahsoka could. Perhaps Luke was the reason Vader hadn't killed her on Malachor. "Take care of my Skyguy, will you Luke?"

Luke nodded, and as Ahsoka made her way out, she could hear the conversation they were having, and it sure made her smile.

"Skyguy? Can I call you that?"

"You, my son, shall stick with Father."

"Okay, Dad."

Ahsoka smiled; Anakin's padawans were good for him.


End file.
